Emergent Curriculum
maintaining good humor and a wait-and-see attitude, she took the time to observe and to
build relationships with the children.
For Bonnie, contribution began in the art studio—an engaging, stimulating area at
the end of the room that was full of enticing materials for children—from beautiful junk,
to clay, and a wide variety of art materials. Bonnie was very comfortable with art, but
she hadn’t realized what the children were capable of doing. She watched, supported the
children when needed, and brought in some of her own ideas. It was during this time that
she experienced an “aha” moment of connection with emergent curriculum.
Alexandra never slept during naptime. So one day
I arranged for her an attractive array of natural
materials, plus some clay. Through literature, the
children had already become interested in fairy
houses. I’d noticed some interestingly shaped
flower petals outside and brought them in as an
invitation to the children, not because of any idea
about how they might use them, but to see what
would happen.
Alexandra and I spent a long time together as
we explored the natural materials. When I asked
her, “How do you think we could join these
materials together?” she decided to use clay as a
way of fastening them. Soon, as she added eyes,
hair, and limbs made from petals, twigs, and pods,
a fairy evolved. Other children awoke from their naps, and before long they were
all making fairies, then whole fairy families. In the end, a long-term project
emerged.
After observing, Bonnie brought her own voice to an existing interest—fairies—and
contributed something she thought might be enticing to children. She collaborated with
the children, and she scaffolded Alexandra’s thinking by asking a question. Not, in this
case, a closed question with a correct answer, but a thought-provoking question—“How
do you think we could . . . ?”
As with any in-depth project, the teaching team talked a great deal on a daily basis
about what was happening, and this, too, was new for Bonnie.
Our discussions, sometimes . . . wow! They are so deep. It’s a very different kind
of work, very cerebral compared to what I was used to. Sometimes I jokingly tell
the team that my head hurts! I’m definitely thinking a lot more, and it feels really
Invitation, in this context,
refers to a set of materials or
an activity that is set up in
response to a demonstrated
interest. The materials may
or may not be taken up and
used, depending on the level
of interest. Setting up such
an invitation enables the
teacher to test the waters,
to see if the idea is worth
pursuing further.
EMERGENT-CURRICULUM_Int_FINAL-R326 26 7/9/2008 4:02:59 PM